Day 24: The Infected Ruins
The three of them wasted no time. The sight of the swordsman taking down that grotesque creature—a decaying, monstrous version of something that had once been alive—still haunted Eli. The quiet, deadly efficiency of the man, coupled with the power of his massive sword, left them all on edge. If the swordsman was still nearby, watching, they couldn't afford to stay.
"We're leaving," Cass said, her voice low and decisive. Despite the exhaustion written on her face and the pain in her leg, her determination had never wavered. "We need to move. Now."
Eli and Luke nodded in agreement, neither of them wanting to linger any longer. The air around them felt thick with danger, as though the earth itself was tainted, waiting to swallow them whole.
They gathered their things quickly, Eli helping Cass to her feet. Her leg was still bad, but she leaned on him for support, refusing to let her injury slow them down. Luke kept his machete in hand, his eyes darting around as if expecting the swordsman—or worse, more monsters—at any moment.
The landscape around them was still and barren, the twisted ruins of the city looming like jagged skeletons in the red, dying light. The wind carried the scent of decay and rot, a stench that clung to their skin and filled their lungs as they moved.
They walked in silence, the tension palpable, none of them wanting to be the first to speak. The sense of being watched had not left Eli. He could feel the weight of something dark pressing down on them, but every time he looked over his shoulder, there was nothing but crumbling buildings and the faint whisper of the wind.
The further they went, the worse the air smelled—sickly, like something rotting deep within the earth. Eli covered his nose and mouth with his arm, but the stench clung to him, thick and unrelenting. The air itself seemed to carry a foul taste, and every breath felt heavy.
"What is that smell?" Luke muttered, his voice muffled behind his sleeve.
"I don't know," Cass answered, her voice tight. "But it's not natural."
The ruined city grew darker around them, the shadows lengthening as they moved deeper into its decaying heart. And then, as they turned a corner around a crumbled wall, Eli saw it.
At first, he thought it was another creature like the one they'd seen before—large, hunched, reptilian. But as it limped closer, moving awkwardly and with strange, jerking motions, Eli realized something was horribly wrong.
The creature looked like it had once been powerful—maybe a predator, something fast and deadly. But now, its scales were peeling off in thick patches, revealing raw, rotting flesh beneath. Its mouth hung open, oozing black, putrid fluid, and its once sharp claws were dull and cracked. Its body twitched and jerked unnaturally, as if it wasn't entirely in control of itself.
And its eyes—lifeless, clouded, and dull—showed no recognition of the world around it.
"What is that?" Luke whispered, his voice trembling as he stared at the decaying creature, barely able to comprehend the horror in front of him.
Eli shook his head, taking a step back as the creature staggered forward, its body twitching with every motion. Its breath was ragged, each exhale a wet, gurgling sound that made Eli's stomach turn.
"I don't know," Cass answered, her voice low but alert. She leaned more heavily on Eli, her grip tightening on his shoulder. "But whatever it was… it's not alive anymore. Not really."
The creature staggered closer, its dull eyes scanning the area without focus, as if it wasn't seeing the world in front of it. Black, oily fluid dripped from its open wounds, staining the ground with every step. But it didn't seem to care. It didn't react to pain, didn't show any sign of awareness. It was just… moving.
Luke gripped his machete tightly, his knuckles turning white. "Do we fight it?" he asked, his voice shaking. "It looks half-dead already, but…"
"No," Cass said quickly, her eyes never leaving the creature. "Don't engage. Something's controlling it."
Eli's stomach twisted at her words. He could feel it now—the wrongness that radiated off the creature, like something was puppeteering its decaying body, forcing it to move despite its obvious injuries. It wasn't natural. Something had taken over.
As if to confirm Cass's suspicion, the creature let out a low, guttural growl, its head twitching unnaturally to the side. For a moment, it seemed to focus on them, but it didn't lunge or attack. Instead, it stumbled past, its legs barely able to support its own weight. The smell of rot grew even stronger, almost suffocating as the creature moved by.
Cass nodded to Eli and Luke, her face pale but resolute. "We need to go. There's no telling how many more of these things are out here."
They continued moving, their pace quickening despite the exhaustion. The ruined city stretched on endlessly, the crumbled buildings casting long, eerie shadows that made it hard to tell what was lurking in the darkness.
But as they went further, they began to see more of them—other creatures, all decayed and grotesque versions of what they had once been. Some were small, others as large as the one they had seen first, their bodies twisted and rotting. They moved in strange, jerking motions, their eyes dull and lifeless, as though something was dragging them through the motions of being alive.
Eli's chest tightened with fear. These weren't just ordinary creatures—they were all infected with something. Something dark and unnatural.
"What's doing this?" Eli whispered, his voice barely audible as they passed another decayed creature—this one a smaller, cat-like beast, its flesh falling away in clumps as it wandered aimlessly through the ruins.
Cass's eyes narrowed, her gaze scanning the darkened streets. "It's a spore," she said quietly. "I've heard about things like this before. It infects living creatures, takes control of their bodies, and slowly kills them. The decay you're seeing… it's a side effect of the infection. It uses them until they rot from the inside out."
Eli's stomach churned. "A spore? Like a fungus?"
Cass nodded grimly. "Yeah. It spreads through the air, attaching itself to anything that breathes it in. Once it's inside, it takes over the host's body, controlling their movements. Eventually, it kills them, but it doesn't let go. It keeps using their body even after death."
Luke's face paled as he glanced at the infected creatures limping through the ruins. "Are we… are we at risk of breathing it in?"
Cass shook her head. "Not from this distance. The spore needs to be nearby—close enough for you to inhale it. But we need to stay alert. If we come across an active spore cluster, we're in danger."
Eli's skin prickled with unease. The idea of a spore infecting creatures, controlling their rotting bodies like puppets—it was worse than anything he had imagined. And now, the decayed creatures were everywhere, their lifeless eyes watching as the three of them passed through the ruins.
"Look," Luke said suddenly, pointing toward the horizon. In the distance, through the haze of decay and rot, Eli could see the faint outline of a building—larger and more intact than the others, its walls still mostly standing.
"That could be shelter," Luke continued, his voice filled with hope. "We can't stay out here with… them."
Cass nodded, though she still looked wary. "It's worth checking out. We'll need to be careful, though. If the spore's been active in this area, there could be more infected inside."
Eli helped Cass along as they moved toward the building, their eyes constantly scanning the ruins for signs of movement. The decayed creatures seemed to be aimless, wandering without purpose, but Eli knew better than to trust their lethargy. They were still dangerous, still capable of lashing out if something triggered them.
As they approached the building, the smell of rot became even more intense, making Eli gag. The closer they got, the more it became clear that the spore had touched this area. The walls were stained with dark, oily streaks, and faint patches of greenish mold clung to the cracks in the stone.
Cass pulled up short, her eyes narrowing. "There. Near the entrance."
Eli followed her gaze and felt his blood run cold. Growing from the cracks in the wall, near the building's entrance, was a large patch of green, pulsating fungus—almost like it was breathing.
"The spore," Luke whispered, his voice trembling. "It's here."
Cass nodded, her face pale. "That's a cluster. If we get too close, it could release more spores. We need to stay far away from it."
Eli's heart pounded in his chest. They were so close to shelter, but now the very building that promised safety was tainted with the spore. He could feel the weight of the infection in the air, as though the entire area had been poisoned by its presence.
"What do we do?" Luke asked, his voice desperate. "We can't go in there, can we?"
Cass shook her head. "Not through the main entrance. But there might be another way in. We just need to circle around, stay low, and avoid the spore clusters."
Eli nodded, helping Cass as they began to move around the building, keeping their distance from the pulsating spores. The infected creatures continued to wander aimlessly through the ruins, their decayed forms a constant reminder of the danger that surrounded them.
As they crept around the side of the building, Eli couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched—not by the creatures, but by something else. Something far more dangerous.
Whatever was behind this spore, whatever had unleashed it upon this world—it wasn't done with them yet.